Gift keeps firm grip on stayers’ crown
The Jonjo O'Neill-trained runner followed up his Cheltenham victory over Baracouda with another battling performance to see off the challenge of Royal Rosa.
Barry Geraghty always had the striking grey in the front rank, settling his mount in second on the outside as the enigmatic Deano's Beeno jumped off as a very reluctant pacemaker.
The seven-year-old was always cruising along before taking up the lead on the second circuit and upping the pace turning for home.
Royal Rosa went with him as Geraghty kicked on, and he threw down a serious challenge approaching the last, but a magnificent leap from the 4-7 favourite gave him the momentum to keep his head in front.
The pair had a thrilling fight up the run-in and Iris's Gift held on gamely to win by a length and a half, with Aine Dubh a further five lengths back in third.
O'Neill said: "He's a very tough horse. He's the one we dream of all the time. He's really tough and genuine and a good jumper as well.
"I was a bit worried about him (after Cheltenham) as he was a bit quiet for a couple of days, but then he was back to his old self. He was flying again within three or four days."
Iris's Gift is a 5-2 chance for the Stayers' Hurdle next season with Ladbrokes, but he could switch to fences.
O'Neill added: "He's the most exciting novice chaser I have ever had. Please Gd, he jumps fences as well as he does hurdles."
A trip to Ireland is on the cards, though, before Iris's Gift changes codes.
"He will go to Punchestown now if the ground is OK, and if he is OK after this," O'Neill said.
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Paddy Power offer 16-1 about Iris's Gift dethroning Best Mate in the 2005 totesport Gold Cup.
Al Eile scored a first victory for the Irish raiding party when springing a 25-1 surprise in the Unwins Wine Group Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle.
The John Queally-trained gelding was held up by Timmy Murphy as Mezereon set a measured gallop along with Tarque, and turning for home the latter was still at the head of affairs.
However, JCB Triumph Hurdle winner Made In Japan was looming large and looked all over the winner when taking it up.
But Murphy was biding his time to produce Al Eile and switched him up the inside to fight it out. The winner just got up by three-quarters of a length, with My Will in third.
Queally was delighted with the performance and felt it atoned for his disappointing show in the Triumph at Cheltenham.
"I thought he would finish in the first four at Cheltenham but he ran no class of race at all. With Best Mate nearly getting beaten in the Gold Cup though, I gave him the benefit of the doubt about the ground.
"He's a tough horse, a streetfighter, and I think he will get a bit further, but going to the last I thought he had it.
"He will go to Punchestown if the ground is good. He's only had a very light campaign. He was always geared more to the spring.
"It can be a bit tough for these four-year-olds at five, so we will just have to see how he gets on, but he can jump a fence at some stage."
Of the move to the rails, Murphy added: "He got crowded in the Triumph and lost interest, so we decided to chage things this time."
New mum Carrie Ford earned her place in jumps racing's record books as she sailed to success over the fearsome Grand National fences just 10 and a half weeks after giving birth to a daughter.
The 32-year-old, who had 5lb 10oz Hannah on January 18, made virtually all to take the Martell Cognac Fox Hunters' Chase on 13-2 chance Forest Gunner, trained by her husband Richard.
But having come out of retirement to ride the winner, she insisted that only the prospect of partnering this horse in next year's Grand National could persuade her to return to the saddle.
Only the third woman to win the Fox Hunters' Chase, Mrs Ford soon had Forest Gunner prominent after he had made an early mistake at the second fence.
Going on at the Canal Turn, the pair were soon clear of their rivals, who were headed by Dam The Breeze.
Only Sikander A Azam came from the rear to look a possible threat from that point, but Forest Gunner kept on gamely to maintain his advantage, eventually scoring by eight lengths.
Gun'N Roses II ran a remarkable race to finish a further seven lengths back in third, having made a host of mistakes throughout the contest.
"I know nobody will believe me, but we really only started to discuss this a couple of weeks ago," said Mrs Ford after the race.
"I was running and swimming and feeling fine and I had a spin on the Flat at Doncaster with today in mind, and then a warm-up over hurdles at Huntingdon on Sunday on one of ours and I won.
"It nearly went very pear-shaped at the second when he made a bad mistake, but that made him think a bit about it, and he was brilliant from then on. It was easier than childbirth!
"Richard had this race planned for a long time and I was buggered if I was going to fall off at the second."
